Dul Qaranain and sun setting
The Qur'an assumes a flat earth which has physical places into which the sun sets and rises from. Since the earth is a rotating sphere, the sun does not set in any particular place and you can never travel to "the spot" where the sun sets nor a place where it rises; the sun appears to set or rise on the horizon no matter where you are on the planet. In these verses, the author propagates a popular legend from the 7th century of a man named Dhu'l-Qarnayn who visits the places where the sun sets and rises; here he finds the sun going down into a muddy spring and later rising on a tribe with no coverings.
Centuries after Muhammad lived, people with better astronomical knowledge than him started to come up with creative interpretations of these verses to say that Dhu'l-Qrnayn only traveled until he reached "the west" or to a spot "at the time" when the sun set and not the "place" where the sun set. Unfortunately, these alternative interpretations are severely undermined by the context and Arabic words used in these verses, which instead point to a physical location. There is plenty of evidence showing that the early Muslims understood the verse in this straightforward way. Again, we must ask why an all-knowing being would use such misleading verses that mimic the misconceptions and legends prevalent at the time if one of these alternative explanations is correct.
Reply
Let us make the translation of above verse and analyze it and wikiislam,s author objections.
"Until when he reached the utmost of his course towards his supposed destination (i.e) the place where sunsets and he felt there as if sun is disappearing in a murky pool."
Here are references to translate above verse.
Balagha also means to reach utmost of ones course towards one,s destination
see Lane,s lexicon page 250
Dictionary of Quran by M.G Farid page 86
Mufridat Alfaz ul Quran (Urdu) page 139
wjada also means to feel
see Hans Wehr 4th Edition page 1231
Lanes Lexicon page 2924
Now above translation leaves no objection.They make two major objections;
1.The holy Quran says he reached the place of sunset and there is no such place on Earth hence it contradicts science and logic
2.He Dhul Qarnain found sun setting
Answers
We admit that Maghrib Al Shams means the place where sunsets. Wikiislam author turned his blood into water just to prove that Maghrib Al Shams means the place where sunsets.But they did not focus on word balagha which also describes to reach the utmost of ones path toward some place.Actually the Quran refers it .That is why many interpreters made translation " He reached the utmost of Maghrib". see Tafsir e Safi. The second thing is that wajadaha also means to perceive ,to feel.Hence there remains no demor.There is no Tafsir present describing that these words Maghrib Al Shams describe physical place of sunset.Instead the made the interpretation that it means he reached the utmost of Maghrib. There is no such Sahih Hadith proving that sun sets in a murky pool.Although there are few Hadiths quoted by wikiislam,s author which are Daef and only present in some middle class Tafsirs as Tafseer Durr e Mansoor which just focused on quoting hadiths about each verse of Holy Quran .Many of them are Daeef. We again quote the Hadith regarding the motion of sun quoted by us in our first article.
It is recorded in Musnad Imam Abi Ishaq Hamdani
"Ibn e Abbas narrated thet Holy Prophet SAW was asked ,Where does the sun set and where does it rise from?The messenger of Allah answered ,"It is going in a regular motion: It does not cease or disappear .It sets in one place and rises in another, it sets in one place and rises in another and so on.So some people will say that sun has set while some will say that it has just risen."
Wikiislam,s author in his mocking says that this story of Dhul Qaranain was a popular fable described by a storyteller of that time and Muhammad SAW put the same in Quran. We question him that if that was popular fable of that time then why the people of that time who surely would have heard it did not ask Muhmmad SAW that why you have put a story in Quran (Nauzbillah).Even his enemies did not do so and there is no such tradition present.We ask that these verses of Holy Quran also resemble Cyrus the great and his journey.It means that it is also a story.So first make a complete research and then mock.
(If anyone have any arguement or objection regarding this or any article then please comment or message at imtiazbashir7@gmail.com)
Above account clearly indicates that Geo Centerism is not mentioned in Quran. It is mentioned in Bible and Hindu scriptures. Here are few proofs;
The Bible suggests that the earth is a flat disc (flat circle) standing on pillars:
"He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. (From the NIV Bible, Psalm 104:5)"
"He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. (From the NIV Bible, Job 9:6)"
"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. (From the NIV Bible, Job 38:4)"
"that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? (From the NIV Bible, Job 38:13)"
"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. (From the NIV Bible, Isaiah 40:22)" The earth being a "circle" means it is a flat disc. And with the verses above, the earth in the Bible is a flat disc standing on pillars.
The Hindu pagan scriptures suggest that the earth is immovable:
"Sabita made this Earth fixed by different devices (like hills and mountains) and sustains sky without pillars so that it does not move" [RIK VEDA]
"The sky is immovable, the Earth is immovable and these mountains are also immovable" [RIK VEDA 10-173-4]
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